1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printing presses and more particularly to a device and method for transporting printed products.
2. Background Information
Web printing presses print a continuous web of material, such as paper. The continuous web then is cut in a cutting unit so as to form book blocks. These book blocks can be sections of a newspaper, for example. In order to transport or process the book blocks, for example to perform a trimming operation, it is often desirable to firmly grip the book in a book clamp which is moveable along a track.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,129 purports to describe a mechanical book clamp which can accommodate various book thicknesses. A chain drive can be used to move individual clamps along a desired path. The books are gripped from above between an inner clamp plate and a pivotal outer book plate, which is actuated by an actuating means.
The device of this patent has the disadvantage that the book clamps require a complicated actuating mechanism and that entire book clamp is fixed to the chain drive. Thus, if the book is to be transferred to a path different from the chain drive path, the signature must be fully released and transferred to a separate device. During this transfer, the book block can be damaged. For example, dog-earring may occur during such transfers.